The present invention relates broadly to stowage apparatus for marine equipment, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for stowing marine side curtains.
Among the various types of sporting power boats are boats that include a “center console”. The center console power boats are used for fresh water and salt water fishing and are built to take rough offshore waters in pursuit of ocean fish. These boats vary in length from about 18 to about 48 feet and all include some form of upstanding center console located in approximately the center of the boat, providing an otherwise open deck for enhanced fisherman's access to the water while allowing the pilot to control the boat from the helm console along the boat's centerline.
It is common for such center console power boats to be open without a permanent sheltering structure, having instead a removable sheltering structure that can include a frame that supports a covering over the console. Such a skeletal frame can be made from aluminum rods that are interconnected and upstanding from the boat deck adjacent the console to support a cover or canopy which is typically opaque, and a plurality of side curtains. Side curtains can also include a windshield, side windows and a rear window and can cover any open area around the console with a series of panels.
Other open deck boats without a center console can use side curtains to protect a helmsman or others on the open boat deck. As in the manner of the console boat, the side curtains on the other boats are formed as panels that are detachably mounted to a skeletal frame, typically made from aluminum rods.
The side curtain panels are typically made from a vinyl sometimes called “isinglass” that maintains transparency even though the curtains are thick for transparent vinyl. In addition, other transparent material may be used. Further, the side curtains are pliant and therefore, in use, their surface is typically uneven which can result in distorted images. Accordingly, there is an interest in keeping the curtains as clean and flat as possible to maximize the ability of the curtain to provide undistorted throughvision. Side curtains are also subject to scuffing and scratching which can also detract from the clarity of viewing through the curtain.
Such side curtains are typically installed and removed based on the real-time needs of the boaters. Changing wind, sea or sun conditions can influence the decision of whether or not to install or remove side curtains—whether front, rear, sides or canopy—while the boat is in use and underway. Therefore, the side curtains need to be readily accessible for installation but also need to remain out of the way of the helmsman and fisherman on the boat. Therefore, there exists a need to stow the side curtains in a compact manner. There is also a need to stow the side curtains in a compact manner that further protects the side curtains from scuffing, scratching and other damage when not in use.